💼 “5 Side Projects That Actually Got People Hired (With GitHub Links)”

 

💼 “5 Side Projects That Actually Got People Hired (With GitHub Links)”

— Alvex Studios

Forget résumés. In 2025, your side project is your portfolio.

Recruiters, startup founders, and dev leads are all browsing GitHub and personal sites looking for people who ship stuff. So here are 5 real-world side projects that helped developers land full-time gigs or freelance clients — and what you can learn from them.

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🔧 1. DevMatch – A Developer Networking App

Tech: React Native, Firebase, Tailwind
GitHub: @danielgonzalez/devmatch

Daniel built a mobile app to help local devs connect, share projects, and collaborate. Think “Tinder for coding collabs.” It wasn’t perfect, but it showed real-world UX thinking, auth flows, and push notifications.

💡 Why it worked: Demonstrated product thinking + mobile dev skills.

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📊 2. OpenBudget – City Spending Visualizer

Tech: D3.js, Node.js, PostgreSQL
GitHub: @tasha-dev/openbudget

Tasha scraped open government data and built a beautiful interactive dashboard showing how local governments spend tax money.

🧠 Why it worked: Showed full-stack skills + data visualization talent + civic tech initiative.

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🧠 3. PromptCraft – An AI Prompt Marketplace

Tech: Next.js, MongoDB, Stripe API
GitHub: @amircodes/promptcraft

A sleek app for buying and selling AI prompts. Amir built a full Stripe integration, search features, and authentication — and it caught the attention of a startup founder hiring for a similar product.

💸 Why it worked: Real monetization + trendy niche (AI + creator tools).

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🌍 4. EcoBin – A Sustainability Habit Tracker

Tech: Vue.js, Supabase, Chart.js
GitHub: @meganeco/ecobin

This one tracked daily sustainable habits (e.g., no single-use plastic, using public transport) and visualized progress with gamification.

🌱 Why it worked: Showed care for user experience + clear design skills + data tracking.

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🎮 5. CodeQuest – A Mini Game for Learning Git

Tech: HTML5 Canvas, JavaScript, Web Storage
GitHub: @lucasdev/codequest

Lucas turned Git commands into a pixel-style space adventure game. You “fly” through commits, branches, and merges.

🎯 Why it worked: Memorable. Creative. Showed strong JS skills + problem teaching via fun UX.

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🧪 Your Turn: Build to Show, Not Just Tell

Here’s the pattern:

• Real-world problems or creative twists

• Clean, documented GitHub repos

• Deploy it (Netlify, Vercel, or Heroku)

• Bonus: Write a 1-page case study

You don’t need to build the next big SaaS. Just make something cool, helpful, or unique. That’s what gets attention in 2025.

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💬 Got a side project you're proud of? Drop the link in the comments or tag @AlvexStudios — we might feature you next!